Saturday, August 31, 2013

BMC's WiFi plan could expose us to radiation : Citizens

Residents met at Matunga to discuss the potential hazards of BMC’s plan to enable WiFi across the city.
At a meeting held on Sunday, residents from across the city raised
concerns over radiation levels that are likely to be emitted once the
civic body’s ambitious WiFi plan comes into place.
The meeting was held in Matunga’s Amulakh Amichand School, and attended by residents from the neighbouring suburbs.

Hindustan Times had reported on July 20 about the BMC planning to
create infrastructure that will enable unlimited access to wireless
internet for people across the city. The plan involved setting up public
routers that will enable the internet network.
However, residents and experts said the plan needs to be better
thought out. “The BMC is planning to instal routers on street lamps,
which might be hazardous because they are too low and there might be
people living or working in the line of that radiation,” said Anuj Jain,
a telecom engineer who had managed a similar network for Philadelphia.
Jain said that a better solution would be to either have WiFi
hotspots or to place these routers higher. “The BMC needs to speak to
experts and do its homework before it initiates such a plan,” he added.
Nikhil Desai, a resident of Matunga, said they plan to visit the
BMC. “We will raise the issue and seek some clarity from the BMC. We
want to be certain that the civic body is looking at the issue as being a
radiation hazard.